Barack Obama. Pope Francis. Bill Gates. Oprah Winfrey.

No matter how you feel about these individuals, you can’t deny this simple truth:

They’re some of the most influential people in the world.

They speak their minds. Sway people’s opinions. And leave an indelible mark on everything they touch.

What’s their secret?

In a word, discipline. Influential people have created key habits for themselves which drive their success and enable them to make a profound impact on others. The good news? You can adopt these same habits – and become more influential, yourself.

Here are four habits to start working on:

Think for yourself.

If you’re easily swayed by public opinion or trends, strive to form your own opinions based on facts and evidence. Seek out information from a variety of reputable sources to fill your gaps in knowledge and reach sound conclusions.  Rely on what others know – not just what they think – to guide your decisions.

Pay attention to nonverbal cues.

Posture, tone of voice, and eye contact all send powerful nonverbal messages – and present opportunities for exerting influence. Show that you’re connected to the person you’re speaking with by mirroring their body language. Modeling another’s nonverbal behavior makes them feel more at ease, and therefore more open to your ideas and influence.

Tell others that you have faith in them.

When others know that you believe in them, they will work harder – and outside their comfort zone – to achieve what you expect from them. Make it clear to those you wish to influence that you’re confident in their abilities. They’ll be inclined to prove you right.

Embrace constructive conflict.

Influential people don’t shy away from disagreement – and they’re humble enough to realize that they don’t always know it all. Guard against knee-jerk emotional and defensive reactions to others’ dissenting opinions. Instead, welcome disagreement. Listen to what others say. Consider whether or not their ideas and points of view are valid. And if they are, be willing to embrace those ideas – because achieving a good end result is more important than being right.

Expanding your sphere of influence is a great way to attract talented candidates to your organization. But for those times when you need help with the process, Exact Staff is here for you.

With a national presence, and a full complement of staffing and placement services, we can rapidly deliver exceptional people to build your core team, improve productivity, and seamlessly flex your workforce to match changing demands.

What can we do for you?

Contact a staffing expert at your local Exact Staff office today.